Mary E Laing

Mary E Laing
  • PhD, MMSc, FRCPI, H.Dip. Clin. Ed
  • Professor at Galway University Hospitals

About

77
Publications
3,017
Reads
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379
Citations
Current institution
Galway University Hospitals
Current position
  • Professor
Additional affiliations
April 2013 - present
Galway University Hospitals
Position
  • Consultant
January 2022 - present
Galway University Hospitals
Position
  • Professor
July 2011 - July 2012
Melanoma Diagnostic Centre, Sydney
Position
  • Clinical Fellow

Publications

Publications (77)
Article
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK and Ireland, with the number of skin cancers expected to increase further by 2038-2040. Conspiracy theories surrounding sunscreen use are becoming rampant across social media platforms. We aimed to further investigate the misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding sunscreen use on TikT...
Article
We report the first case of Trichophyton indotineae in Ireland, highlighting the pathogen's resistance to conventional antifungal treatments and the necessity for advanced diagnostic techniques. Notably, the infection began to resolve when griseofulvin liquid was unintentionally used topically, suggesting an alternative treatment approach for this...
Article
Lentigo maligna (LM) can present with subclinical extension that may be difficult to define preoperatively and lead to incomplete excision and potential recurrence. Preliminary studies have used reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) to assess LM margins. Knowing the margin prior to surgery allows for forward planning and enables the doctor to discu...
Article
Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) are at increased risk of keratinocyte skin cancers, with a tendency to have multiple, aggressive and difficult-to-treat tumours. The eye and the skin share the same embryological ectoderm. Iris pattern has recently been reported as a predictive risk factor for skin cancer in nonimmunosuppressed Southern European a...
Article
We aimed to assess the cohort of patients attending our dermatology department who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine, to evaluate the impact of the conflict on the continuity of medical care, and to shed light on the challenges faced by political refugees in an unfamiliar medical system. Consenting Ukrainian refugees attending our departmen...
Article
Full-text available
Background Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) experience cutaneous symptoms, some due to immunosuppressive medications, which can affect their quality of life (QOL). Previous studies noted a higher impact on QOL of younger female recipients. Objectives We sought to examine current trends in dermatology QOL in Irish RTRs. Methods Dermatology life...
Article
Full-text available
Case report of Morphoea induced by the use of electronic cigarettes.
Article
Full-text available
Introduction Renal transplant recipients are at increased risk of keratinocyte skin cancers with a tendency to have multiple, aggressive and difficult to treat tumours. The eye and the skin share the same embryological ectoderm. Iris pattern has recently been reported as a predictive risk factor for skin cancer in non‐immunosuppressed Southern Euro...
Article
Amelanotic melanoma is an uncommon form of melanoma; accounting for 2%-8% of all melanoma cases. In the human population, the incidence of melanoma in patients with trisomy 21 is relatively unknown. It is theorised that having an extra copy of chromosome 21 is protective against melanoma development as people with trisomy 21 also carry an extra cop...
Article
Full-text available
Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) are at an increased risk of skin cancer (SC), especially squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). As the number of successful transplant recipients increases, pressure on dermatology services increases. The focus has shifted from simply screening RTRs for SC to implementing preventive measures, including SP education progra...
Article
Full-text available
Irish men get more skin cancer than women, especially of the head and neck area. They typically get more sun exposure and are less likely to wear sun protection factor (SPF). Little is known about the types of hats men wear, or photoprotective practices regarding the lips. We carried out an observational study, using a questionnaire, on men aged >...
Article
Full-text available
Our qualitative study of the skin cancer information delivered to renal transplant recipients (RTRs) highlighted that we must find the optimum time when things are settled for patients to absorb this information. Knowing and trusting the person delivering the information was welcomed by participants and more likely to influence behaviour, as was th...
Article
Full-text available
Background Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin condition which is physically, psychologically and socially disabling and often affects a patient's quality of life (QOL). There are numerous QOL tools used in dermatology. However, assessment of QOL in patients with HS is difficult due to the inability of generic Q...
Article
Full-text available
We undertook a study of skin cancer (SC) recognition and health promotion among interns in an Irish hospital. While the knowledge on SC was good, the majority of the interns did not practice safe sun behaviours themselves, and the majority did not feel confident in diagnosing skin lesions or SC. Most had never performed a skin examination on patien...
Article
Full-text available
We examined the sun-protection practices of 61 men attending a dermatology department in the west of Ireland. Most worked outdoors, either currently or in the past. Although most wore hats as a sun-protection measure, the majority wore baseball caps, with smaller numbers wearing other types of hats that do not offer protection to the head and neck....
Article
Full-text available
Hats aid in reducing exposure to both direct and diffuse ultraviolet light, but hats are of mixed styles and the resultant sun-protection value is variable. Adult male patients have higher rates of skin cancer, especially of the head and neck, than other subgroups. The UK and Australia have set standards for what constitutes a sunhat, whereas no su...
Article
This case report describes a women in her 50s with obesity, end-stage kidney disease, and type 2 diabetes who presented with severe painful, erythematous nonhealing ulcerated skin lesions with necrotic eschars on the right lower abdomen.
Article
Full-text available
Ireland has the highest per capita users of fake tan in the world. We have very often seen the effect of this in our Dermatology clinics. We analysed the number of patients presenting with fake tan to our pigmented lesion clinics, which results in unnecessary rescheduling, further patient anxiety and delay in diagnoses, as well as increasing patien...
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Article
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Background: Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) are at increased risk of keratinocyte cancer (KC), especially cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Previous studies identified a genetic variant of the Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) gene, C677T, which conferred a risk for diagnosis of cSCC in Irish RTRs. Objective: We sought to fi...
Article
Full-text available
Dear Editor, The COVID‐19 pandemic had a monumental impact on the practice of medicine, and 2020 saw a shift towards virtual consulting and changes in the range of conditions presenting to dermatology, from those directly COVID‐related (e.g. chilblains, viral eruptions) to consequences of our work (e.g. personal protective equipment‐related dermato...
Article
Full-text available
Toxic epidermal necrolysis and Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) are potentially life-threatening dermatological emergencies that present in a similar clinical fashion. Toxic epidermal necrolysis is typically triggered by anticonvulsant and other neurological medications and reports clindamycin inducing the disease is exceedingly rare. SS...
Article
Erythem gyratum repens is a an unusual rash commonly associated with underlying malignancy. We report a case of erythema gyratum repens in a patient with Helicobacter pylori which was successfully treated with triple therapy.
Article
A man in his 80s presented with a 1-year history of purpura, ecchymoses, anorexia, and weight loss. His medical history included alcohol abuse and cognitive impairment. Purpura and ecchymoses, initially periorbital, progressed over the previous 12 months. Elder abuse was excluded. Examination demonstrated waxy yellow papules and plaques with purpur...
Article
Background: Calciphylaxis is a rare disorder that is very unusual outside the setting of end-stage kidney disease. Case summary: A 64-year-old woman with normal renal function presented with painful leg ulcers. She had previously received 300 000 IU of vitamin D3 followed by daily calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation. A skin biopsy was consist...
Article
Naevus spilus (NS) is a naevoid disorder characterized by hyperpigmented macules or papules scattered over a café-au-lait macule. Such café-au-lait macules are often present at birth, and the darker pigmented speckles of NS slowly increase in number and size over a period of several years. NS can therefore be difficult to evaluate clinically for th...
Chapter
Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in the Caucasian population in the Western world. The incidence of the three major types of skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma - continues to increase. Skin cancers are broadly divided into melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers. Melanoma accounts for 4% of all...
Article
Changes in genomic DNA methylation associated with cancer include global DNA hypomethylation and gene-specific hyper- or hypomethylation. We have previously identified a genetic variant in the MTHFR gene involved in the methylation pathway which confers risk for the development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in renal transplant patients. This gen...
Article
The use of botulinum toxin to treat disorders of the salivary glands is increasing in popularity in recent years. Recent reports of the use of botulinum toxin in glandular hypersecretion suggest overall favourable results with minimal side-effects. However, few randomised clinical trials means that data are limited with respect to candidate suitabi...
Article
Polymorphisms in genes, coding for proteins involved in immune response, or the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis may influence immunological and non-immunological mechanisms that lead to allograft loss. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists reduce allograft rejection in animal models, and there are a number of functional polymorphisms in VDR. In all, 37...
Article
We report the case of anaphylactic reaction to carboxymethylcellulose, a dispersant in corticosteroid preparation and contrast media. Skin prick testing in this patient revealed a positive response to carboxymethylcellulose at a dilution of 1/1000. Anaphylaxis secondary to carboxymethylcellulose has previously been reported. To avoid further proble...
Article
The relative risk of developing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is significantly increased after organ transplantation. We investigated the genetic association of SCC in two pathways associated with cancer risks, with the potential for modification by vitamin supplementation. A total of 367 renal transplant recipients (117 with SCC and 250...
Article
Non-melanoma skin cancer represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among renal transplant recipients. Established risk factors that increase susceptibility to skin cancer after transplantation include skin type, sun exposure and level of immunosuppression. A comprehensive literature review was carried out to discuss relevant genetic...
Article
The characteristics of malignant melanoma arising in transplant patients are not clearly delineated. We describe clinical and histological features of malignant melanoma in five transplant patients. All transplant patients with melanoma arising post-transplantation had a previous history of skin cancer. Two had a history of internal organ malignanc...

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